Summary: We present CoVAR, a novel remote collaborative system using Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technology supporting natural communication cues. CoVAR enables an AR user to capture and share their local environment with a remote user in VR to collaborate on spatial tasks in shared space. For our demonstration, environment capturing can be done in advance using Microsoft HoloLens within 15 minutes to reduce the computational load and to improve the overall user experience. CoVAR supports various interaction methods to enrich collaboration, including hand gestures, head gaze, and eye gaze input, and provides various collaboration cues to improve awareness on remote collaborator's status. We also demonstrate collaborative enhancements in VR user's body scaling and snapping to AR perspective. Thus, CoVAR system shows how AR and VR can be combined with natural communication cues to create new types of collaboration.

Presenter(s):Thammathip Piumsomboon, University of South Australia
Youngho Lee, Mokpo National University
Gun Lee, University of South Australia
Mark Billinghurst, University of South Australia